Steam-generator



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

O.F.BURTON.

STEAM GENERATOIL.

Patented Aug. 1, 1882.

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2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

0.P.BUBTON. STEAM GENERATOR.

Patented Aug. 1, 1 882.

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uPEfEns. Phum-umn n he I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR F. BURTON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

STEAM-GENERATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 261,996, dated August1,1882,

Application filed December 17, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR F. BURTON, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Steam-Generators, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for generatingsteam, and has for its object to provide a steam-generator in whichwater in regulated and small quantities is delivered from awater-chamber into a steamchamber in an intermittent manner atdetermined or stated intervals, said intermittent charges or supplies ofwater successively flashing into steam in the steam-chamber, in whichchamber the steam is superheated and delivered into a steam-dome, all insuch manner that the quantity of steam generated can be well regulatedand the steam chamber and dome never contain a quantity of steamsufficient to render an explosion possible, while the water-chamber isalways maintained full of water, so that no steam is generated therein.

The invention also has for its object to au-' tomatically indicate thelevel of water in the water-chamber, to indicate the pressure of steamin the steam-dome, and to automatically supply and out OK the water tothe waterchamber. These objects I accomplish by the apparatusillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 representsa front view of my generator. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section.Fig.3 is a horizontal section in the plane w m, Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5are details which will be referred to as the description progresses.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts. In thesedrawings,theletterA designates the shell ofmy steam-generator. In the front of this shellis an opening, B, which leads to the fire-grate O, and another opening,D, which leads to the ash-chamber. From the top of the shell, near itsrear end, rises the smokestack E. The space in theinteriorof theshell,with the exception of that required for the firegrate and theash-chamber, is occupied by the water-chamber and the steam-chamber, andin the example shown in the drawings these parts are constructed asfollows The water-chamber consists of two hollow heads, a a Fig. 2, onein front and the other in the rear, and a series of pipes, b, whichconnect said heads. Both said heads must be so constructed that thepipes secured in the same clear the. fire-place, as indicated in dottedlines in Fig. l; but in fact said pipes form an open arched top and opensides of a combustion-chamber, which extends from the fireplace back tothe head a The head a communicates by a pipe, 0, Fig. 1, with. thefeedpipe 01, and one end of this feed-pipe commuuicates with a suitableforce-pump, while its other end leads into a water-tank intended toreceive the water which is not required for the boiler. In the feed-piped is a valve, e, and if this valve is closed the water forced in by thepump enters through the pipe 0 into the waterchamber of the boiler; butif this valve is open, as shown in Fig. 1, the water forced in by thepump passes into the water-tank. A check-valve, f, situated in the pipe0, retains the water in the water-chamber. The valvee in the feed-pipedis loaded with a weight, g, the gravity of which is such that itretains said valve in aclosed position againstthe maximum pressuredesiredthat is to say, if the waterchamber is completely filled withWater and the pressure therein reaches the maximum pressure, then thevalve e is lifted and the water forced in by the pump passes back intothe tank. If the water in the water-chamber sinks down, the valve isclosed by the following means: On the upper part of the front plate ofthe shell is secured a closed tube, h, which communicates by a pipe, 2with the head a of the water-chamber. In said tube is contained a float,j, which is supportedby a spring, is, and connects with the inner end ofa lever, I, from the outer end of which extends a rod, m, to the lever91, which supports the weight g of the valve e. The rod m is slottedatitslower end, and, it'the fioatj israised up by the action of thewater, its action on the valve-lever 0?. assists in opening the valve 6;but if the water in the tube It sinks down the float descends and itsweight co-operates with the gravity of the weighty, so as to close thevalve 6.

It is obvious that the weight of the float must be so regulated inregard to the weight ing back into the heads a b g that the above-namedresults are produced 5 and the operation is such that a slight change inthe level of the water in the tube It opens or closes the valve 0, sothat the water-chamber of the boiler is kept full all the time.

As already stated, the water in the waterchamber is heated to atemperature of 250 to 41.00 Fahrenheit,-and in order to ascertain thetemperature a thermometer, o, is applied to a well,p, which connectswith the tube h. With this tube is also connected a common glass gage,q, to indicate the water-level, and a safety-valve, i", which blows offwhen the pressure of the steam in the upper part of the tube exceeds acertain limit.

The lever Z is mounted on the end of a plug, 8, which has its hearingsin the sides of a chamber, t, formed on the tube h. (See Fig. 4.) InthisTplug is a slot, to, which, when the float sinks down, communicateswith a channel, o, Fig. 5, leading to an alarm, to, so that by the soundof this alarm the attention of the engineer is called to the i'act thatthe water is low.

The steam-chamber, Which occupies the upper portion of the shell A, iscomposed of four hollow heads, a a? b D which are connected respectivelyby pipes (t b. The heads a b are connected with the head a of thewaterchamber by U-shaped pipes 0 d, each of which is provided with astop-valve, c f, respectively. By alternately opening and closing thesestop-valves jets of water are thrown first into the head a and then intothe head I), and as this water escapes from the waterchamber itimmediately flashes into steam, which, in passing through the pipes a Drespectively, is dried and superheated, and flnallycollectsintoasteam-dome,g,from which it is drawn off to the engine. To prevent thesteam from reacting, check-valves e and f 2 are placed in the pipes c d.The heads a I) connect with the steam-dome g by channels h a",respectively, and each of these channels is provided with a check-valvej whereby the steam in the dome g is prevented from pass- The pressureof the steam in the dome g is indicated by a gage, l, which communicateswith said dome by a pipe, m, Fig. 2. With the dome is also connected asafety-valve, a.

The valves ef may be operated by hand; but in practice I intend toprovide suitable mechanism connected to the engine, so that as soon asthe engine is started said valves are opened and closed automatically atthe proper intervals.

It will be seen from this description that in my steam-generator thewater-chamber, which is kept full of water all the time, is thrown incommunication with the steam-chamber at intervals by alternately openingand closing the valves ef, and whenever one of these valves is opened alimited quantity of heated water escapes into the steam-chamber, whereit instantly flashes into steam, which, after having been dried andsuperheated, is collected in the dome g, ready to be admitted to thesteamcylinder of the steam-engine. By these means the quantity of steamgenerated can be regulated to correspond to the supply required for theengine, and the steam chamber and dome 9 never contain a quantity ofsteam sufficient to render an explosion possible, while thewater-chamber is always kept full of water, so

that no steam can form therein, and the danvessel. Such arrangement andcombination are therefore disclaimed, and, moreover, such areessentially dit'ferentfrom myinvention, because in my arrangement andcombination of parts the water-chamber is located horizontally below thesteam-chamber, andits tubes form the sides and top wall of acombustion-chamber,

and the upper portion of the water-chamber is connected with the lowerportion of the steamchamber through the medium of a curvedconmeeting-pipe provided with a valve capable of I being operated fromthe exterior of the casing which incloses the steam and water chambers,and the arrangement is such that the steam formed in the steam-chambercannot accumulate therein to such an extent as to render an explosionpossible; but such steam, as fast as generated,is conveyed into asteam-dome, from whence it is delivered to the cylinder of an engine.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. Ina steam-generator, the combination of a steam-chamber composed of frontand rear heads, connected by longitudinal tubes and communicating with asteam-dome, with a water-chamber located below the steam-chain her, andcomposed of front and rear heads connected by longitudinal tubes andconstituting an arched top and open sides to a combastion-chamber, afeed-pipe connected with the water-chamber and containing a valve, afloat located in a tube communicating with the upper part of thewater-chamber, a connection between said float and the valve in thefeed-pipe,and means, such substantially as described, for intermittentlyor at determined intervals supplying small charges of water from thewater-chamber to the steam-chamber, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

2. In a steam-generator, the combination of a steam-chamber locatedwithin the'upper part of an inclosing shell, and composed of front andrear heads connected by longitudinal pipes and communicating with asteam-dome, with ICC a water-chamber located within said shell below thesteam-chamber, and composed of front valve in the feed-pipe of thewater-chamber,

and pipes and valves for delivering water fromthe upper part of thewater-chamberto the steam-chamber, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

3; In a steam-generator, the combination of two steam-chambers locatedin the upper part of a surrounding shell, and composed of two setsofindependent front and rear heads, arranged side by side and connected bylongitudinal tubes, and both of the rear heads communicating with acommon steam-dome, with a water-chamber located below the steamchamher,and composed of front and rear heads connected by longitudinal tubes,forming the necting the respective frontheads of the steamchamber to theupper portion of the waterchamber, and valves locatedin said pipes andoperated at stated intervals to intermittently and alternately deliversmall charges of water from the water-chamber into the twosteamchambers, where such charges of water successivel y flash intosteam, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In a steam-generator, the combination of the water-chamber, composedof the heads a (1* and longitudinal pipes b, t w0 steam-chambers,located above the water-chamberand composed of the heads a a b b andpipes a and b the steam-dome g, connected with both the saidsteam-chambers, pipes c d, connecting the respective steam-chambers withthe upper portion of the water-chamber, and stop-Valves c f, operatedtointermittently and alternately charge the steam-chambers with smallquantities of water from the water-chamber, all substantially as and forthe purposes described.

In testimony whereofI have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

OSCAR F. BURTON.

Witnesses:

W. HAUFF, E. F. KASTENHUBER.

